CGC Game 12: Chakan: The Forever Man (Genesis/Mega Drive) [Console]

[PistolsAtDawn]

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Game info (Wikipedia)

Gameplay video

Core info

Chakan: The Forever Man is a Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Game Gear video game published by Sega of America during December 8, 1992. The game featured an uncommonly dark premise for the time of its release, which saw the home console market flooded with licensed platformers based on family-friendly media.

It is based upon a comic book of the same name by Robert A. Kraus...

Play however you'd like! The point is to enjoy and have fun, but if you would like to compete on high scores, please let us all know how you played (as in, with a arcade control panel, gamepad, etc.). We're on the honor system here for reporting high scores, so if you used cheats, fess up!

Please share with us your thoughts, jokes, frustrations or anything else related to this game that you may discover (i.e. if you discover the game itself was featured or visible in some other form of entertainment like a movie or TV show).

[charmless]

Sweet! I've never really played this game but I'm really excited to try it out.

[PistolsAtDawn]

Sweet! I've never really played this game but I'm really excited to try it out.

As am ! It looks really interesting and aimed at adults or at least not at young children. There wasn't a port available for the SNES, so this is definitely a new game for me.

[PistolsAtDawn]

I played a bit yesterday, and this game is much harder than I anticipated. I can see the replay value though. I read through a guide on GameFAQs on this game, and it seems to me that the game gets better once you have figured out the optimal path and item acquisition (or you just follow a guide to avoid wasting time and getting frustrated).

The one thing that bums me out is that movement is slow. I guess the Forever Man's bones are tired.

[Chakan4ever]

Obviously I am a fan of this game!! I recall seeing Chakan on the cover of a UK gaming mag when it first came out in the early 90s and I was immediately drawn to the imagery but had no way to procure and play this as a 9 year old. I got back into retro gaming around 2000 and this was one of the first games I picked up for my Mega Drive. I used to leave my console turned on for day so I wouldn't loose my progress. I never managed to finish the game but think with savestates on the everdrive its probably worth trying again! I love how there are different weapons/tools you you to use to get around different obstacles. The most frustrating of which is the grappling hook which you use to swing around the place whilst holding onto certain walls.

Fun fact, Ed Annunziata who made this game also made Ecco the Dolphin and he plans on making a sequel one day.

A quick google shows someone has made an 'ultimate chakan' hack which sounds interesting.
https://archive.org/details/ultimate-ch ... t-fixed-cs

[PistolsAtDawn]

Obviously I am a fan of this game!! I recall seeing Chakan on the cover of a UK gaming mag when it first came out in the early 90s and I was immediately drawn to the imagery but had no way to procure and play this as a 9 year old. I got back into retro gaming around 2000 and this was one of the first games I picked up for my Mega Drive. I used to leave my console turned on for day so I wouldn't loose my progress. I never managed to finish the game but think with savestates on the everdrive its probably worth trying again! I love how there are different weapons/tools you you to use to get around different obstacles. The most frustrating of which is the grappling hook which you use to swing around the place whilst holding onto certain walls.

Fun fact, Ed Annunziata who made this game also made Ecco the Dolphin and he plans on making a sequel one day.

A quick google shows someone has made an 'ultimate chakan' hack which sounds interesting.
https://archive.org/details/ultimate-ch ... t-fixed-cs

When I saw the title of the romhack I figured it would be even more challenging, but no, it's less difficult. I will have to give that a shot. I don't have the patience to put a ton of time into difficult games these days just to get up to an average player's level. I will with some games where I feel a general affinity with the controls like the new Doom games, but not when I just suck and can't get used to the controls like Kena Bridge of Spirits. Chakan falls closer to the latter for me unfortunately.

[charmless]

So, I played it for a few hours yesterday. And I really like the music and the general atmosphere of the game. But the controls... I just can't get my head around the controls. I almost rage quit out of the game when I was stuck on the water level and had fish and insects chasing me around. I could not get to grips with the double jump which felt almost random sometimes. I am not going to give up yet, because there is something in here that I really like. Maybe I'll try that hack.